Middle manager engagement in diversity efforts continues to be a chief concern of DEI leadership. With pressure to perform, strained resources and competing priorities it is no wonder managers are not lining up to take on more responsibility. A first step in onboarding middle managers is gaining their vested interest, and critical to your success is positioning diversity and inclusion as a solution not a problem.

As a middle manager, you have direct connections to more junior-level employees, are instrumental in the shaping of careers, provide crucial connections to senior leadership and therefore are central to an organization’s ability to effectively institute change. Below you will find a few tips for being a positive driver of change.

The What Would You Do exercise is a 45-minute experiential activity designed to help participants recognize and address non-inclusive behavior, deal with conflict, and work together to problem-solve. Through discussion participants will more deeply understand the impact of exclusion, how to be an ally, and how to leverage their influence and privilege as managers to drive culture change.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston has been recognized for its outstanding and innovative approach to diversity and often serves as a role model for other banks in the Federal Reserve System.  In this case study with Lora McCray, AVP of Diversity & Inclusion, we explore some of the highlights that set them apart as a trailblazer.

Training Tools:

The Level Playing Field exercise is a 15-minute experiential activity designed to illustrate the concept of privilege and the advantages privilege provides to some.

Tips for building trust with your employees and coworkers

Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what drives the most high-achieving teams. Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built over every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It’s a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. Because as Heffernan points out: “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.”

At the core of VisionSpring’s Inclusive Leadership competency model is the concept of Leading Self – of managing and directing one’s own attitudes and behaviors in ways that are inclusive and free from disparity.

This article offers some concrete tips that are designed to help HR business partners navigate the diversity and inclusion space.

There is nothing more terrifying than the “Difficult Diversity Conversation.” There is an art to this conversation. Here are some tips for leading a positive and productive conversation.

The Difficult Conversations Checklist is a tool to help you organize your thoughts in preparation for a difficult conversation. It is specifically designed for diversity related conversations but can be used to help
you manage any conversation.

The Who Am I exercise is a 30-minute experiential activity designed to help participants recognize the existence of personal assumptions and unconscious biases and the impact on behavior and decisions.

In this interview, Susan Stith, Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Corporate Giving at Express Scripts discusses why the I Am Diversity Campaign was launched at Express Scripts, the key success factors and the organizational impact of the campaign.

VisionSpring’s Inclusive Leadership Competency Model addresses the concept of inclusive leadership from three main competencies: Leads Self, Leads Others; and Drives Results. This article focuses on the second competency, Leads Others.

Tips for removing bias from your decision-making process so you can fairly assess employees.

Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning — and addressing the possibility of failure.

Tips for Valuing All Employees

As Employee Resource Groups become a more prevalent component of common work environments, more and more employers are interested in engaging non-exempt workers in ERGs. While altering benefits offered to non-exempt workers require a dramatic systemic shift, there are some steps you can take in the short term for engaging your nonexempt workers in ERGs.

Is there a business case for diversity and inclusion in healthcare? When we take into account the world in which we live and the communities in which we serve the case for diversity seems somewhat obvious. Moving from conceptualization to actualization is where it becomes a bit more complicated. As a first step it is important to understand some of the links between diversity and the ability to deliver quality culturally competent care.

The Cultural Competence Action Plan is a tool designed to help healthcare providers identify competency strengths and opportunities for development. The tool identifies key competencies associated with the delivery of culturally competent care and provides a thought process for building competency in each area.

The Quality of Care Self-Assessment is a quick way to determine your level of competency in dealing with a diverse set of patients, areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement. This tool is not intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of your skills and competencies but a quick reference and high-level overview.

Template for creating an event budget

This is a quick and easy reference tool to help you design and offer D&I events throughout the year without breaking your budget. Many of the ideas here have little or no cost associated with them.

A budget template will help an ERG Leader keep tracking of spending throughout the year.  It is important to stay fiscally organized and with that, have a tool that can be efficiently analyzed. Provided here is a template that allows you to categorize expenses in a way that makes sense to your organization.

Core to the success of any ERG is its ability to effectively design and run events that are well aligned with business objectives and the development needs of its members. The Event Planning Process is a step-by- step set of guidelines for designing a well-constructed event.

Updated: The Inclusion Learning Loop™ Heritage Month Celebration Ideas is a companion piece to the Multicultural Calendar. It provides ERG leaders and members with ideas for recognizing and celebrating the various heritage months.

Bias is an inclination or preference either for or against a group that can interfere with impartial judgment. Biases can be explicit – in the form of stereotypes or prejudices – or implicit which can exist without the knowledge of the person. Bias is a very real part of life and every corporate culture, and substantial research shows a connection between unconscious bias and actions and behaviors.

Countless studies have been performed that connect overall employee engagement to engagement among middle managers. When you think about a company’s organizational chart the rational behind this is clear. Middle managers connect, interact and manage most of the employees within the organization.

We all have bias. In fact, the actual definition is quite neutral. Bias is a natural function of the human mind that is defined as the tendency or inclination to make a judgment without question, which can be in favor of or against something or someone.  This tool is intended to help you P.A.U.S.E. in order to take the actions that are in your best interest. Whether you are certain that you experiencing negative bias or you just have a nagging sense that there is something off, these strategies will provide you with a road map on what to do.